UFC 139 Salary/Suspension Information

The fallout from UFC 139 has started to trickle down, including salaries/suspensions related to last weekend’s epic event, and without question there were a handful of results worth noting based on the numbers involved.

Regarding pay, Cung Le walked away with the evening’s largest salary despite his loss to Wanderlei Silva and relative inactivity in the ring. Le earned $350,000 for showing, plus an additional $70,000 for his role in the bout being named “Fight of the Night”, making his total takehome more than the combined money earned by the six athletes who opened the PPV card including Stephan Bonnar and Urijah Faber.

Other fighters with six-figure salaries were Faber (assisted by his “Submission of the Night” bonus), Silva, Dan Henderson, and Mauricio Rua.

Henderson, Rua, Gleison Tibau, and Michael McDonald topped the list of medical suspensions with a variety of fractures putting each man at risk of spending six months on the sidelines without a physician’s clearance.

Read below for complete listings of UFC 139 salary/suspension information as reported by the California State Athletic Commission…

Shamar Bailey – Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to TKOGleison Tibau – Suspended for 180 days with no contact for 180 days unless receiving clearance via x-ray for possible right thumb fractureTom Lawlor – Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to submissionAlex Soto – Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to knockoutMichael McDonald – Suspended for 180 days with no contact for 180 days unless receiving clearance via x-ray for a possible third finger fracture on his right handJason Brilz – Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to TKORick Story – Suspended for 60 days with no contact for 60 days unless receiving a clearance from a physician for a chin laceration
Martin Kampmann – Suspended for 60 days with no contact for 60 days unless receiving clearance from a physician due to forehead and right eyebrow lacerationsBrian Bowles – Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 daysCung Le – Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days due to TKO; suspended 60 days with no contact for 60 days unless receiving clearance from a physician due to a possible nasal fractureWanderlei Silva – Suspended for 60 days with no contact for 60 days unless receiving clearance from a physician for a right eyebrow lacerationMauricio Rua – Suspended for 45 days with no contact for 30 days; suspended 60 days with no contest for 60 days for an eyebrow laceration; suspended 180 days with no contact for 180 days unless receiving clearance from a physician for possible facial and skull fractureDan Henderson – Suspended 60 days with no contact for 60 days; suspended 180 days with no contact for 180 days unless receiving clearance from a physician for a possible right thumb fracture. An MRI/CT scan is needed to be cleared
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MMATraining Take: I’m still struggling to understand why Le made such a ridiculous amount and can only assume it had to do with his popularity in San Jose. As far as the suspensions, it’s amazing how many fighters’ may have broken something though I get the sense the CSAC could be a bit overprotective given the sentences issued for participants who were not necessarily hurt, just submitted.